Thomaston officer running for county sheriff

THOMASTON, Maine — Tim Hoppe thinks Knox County law enforcement could be more communicative and more fuel-efficient.

Those are two of several issues the Thomaston police officer is emphasizing in his campaign to be elected sheriff of Knox County.

Hoppe, who hopes to succeed Sheriff Donna Dennison, also would like to get all of Knox County on a 24-hour policing cycle without increasing the budget.

Currently the towns are without police patrols for a few hours early every day. Hoppe thinks nonstop police coverage is possible by rearranging schedules and collaborating among towns.

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“Young people are out knowing they won’t run into someone, as far as police,” Hoppe said by e-mail this week.

Hoppe, who lives in St. George and has been with the Thomaston Police Department for nine years, said his agenda would include greater communication among police agencies. He would like to see all law enforcement in Knox County on the same computer system.

“We need to work together,” Hoppe said. “We need to share information and resources. Crime doesn’t stop at the town line.

“You have to be part of the community to be connected to the community,” he said. “You can’t just be stopping cars and not getting to know the citizens and not letting them know you. They have to trust you — that’s how you solve crimes.”

Hoppe also is interested in the possibility of using hybrid vehicles for Knox County law enforcement.